How Glastonbury Responded To Brexit

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25 Jun 2016 11:10 AM

Nick Levine

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As the UK voted in the EU Referendum on Thursday, the country's most iconic music festival was getting underway at Pilton Farm in Somerset. Festival-goers, like the rest of the population, had been given the opportunity to vote in advance either by post or by proxy.

When Glastonbury awoke on Friday morning, it emerged that the UK had voted to leave the EU by a majority of 52% to 48%. It's pretty safe to presume that the prevailing mood at the festival, a famously open-minded and liberal event which has this year introduced its first ever woman-only space, was rather more slanted in favour of Remain.

The event's organisers released a sweetly optimistic statement encouraging revellers to "trudge on through the mud" and "sing out loud our protest songs."

Then, addressing the crowd from the Pyramid Stage later that morning, The Telegraph reports, Damon Albarn told revellers: "To my mind, democracy has failed us, because we were ill-informed. And I just want all of you to know, that when we leave here, we can change that decision. It is possible."

Poignantly, journalist Rick Pearson spotted an EU flag flying in the crowd as Christine and the Queens, a French artist who is being warmly embraced by UK music fans, performed on the Other Stage.

NME reports that when Bastille performed on the Other Stage later in the day, the London band changed the lyrics of their song "Pompeii" to reflect the pound's plunge to a 31-year low against the dollar following the referendum result. Instead of singing, "And the walls kept tumbling down / In the city that we love," frontman Dan Smith sang, "And the pound kept tumbling down / On the weekend that we love."

The Saturday of Glastonbury brings a highly anticipated headline set from Adele, which you can watch live tonight at 10.15pm on BBC Two. It will be interesting to see how the UK's biggest pop star chooses to address the historic decision her country has made this week.